The Cost of Our Adultery
Numbers 5 ends with the most curious prescription for a woman who's husband suspects of adultery. The reason for his suspicion is well founded. It begins by highlighting that the woman has left her home.
Numbers 5:12 (ESV) "Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him"
So the wife in question is not simply suspected for no reason. She has gone astray. The question is, did she defile herself with another man or did she simply abandon him for a while? To find this out a strange procedure was carried out in which the woman would come to the priest and take an oath and drink water mixed with the dust from the floor of the temple and the ink of the curses for adultery written in a book and see what would happen. Here's how the passage illustrates the "test" for her innocence:
Numbers 5:23-28 (ESV) "Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. 25 And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand and shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
The interesting thing about this whole event is that only God would make her guilt visible. For there was no magic to this procedure. It was simply leaving the judgment in the hands of God. Secondly, for a man to bring his suspected wife through this would be very cold and disgraceful for himself as the community would see this take place. Thirdly, this is the first time anyone in the scriptures is told to drink something that would bring a curse for sin.
We may not truly understand all the reasons for why God gave these rules through Moses to ancient Israel. What we can take from it is that adultery is serious sin of which only God truly knows the depths. We also can see that Israel would regard adultery as very damaging to the community, not just to a marriage. This procedure involved everyone. God was teaching His people that adultery was not a "private" matter between couples. It hurt neighbors and families.
Finally, we cannot help but see preludes to Christ in this passage. Only, in a complete reversal of events with Christ bearing it all for us. We are the unfaithful spouse. Only God can truly know the depths of our spiritual adultery. But instead of taking us to task, His Son has come to drink the cup of bitter suffering. The cup in Numbers 5 was mixed with dust and ink from the curses in the book. At the cross, Jesus took on flesh and the curse of our sins. He drank it for us. Now we drink in remembrance of His sacrifices for our acceptance before the Father. In the Numbers 5 procedure, the innocent woman would drink and not suffer the curse. Through the New Covenant of Christ's blood, we drink and do not suffer for our sins. The price has been paid in full.
We are free.
Hallelujah.
Numbers 5:12 (ESV) "Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him"
So the wife in question is not simply suspected for no reason. She has gone astray. The question is, did she defile herself with another man or did she simply abandon him for a while? To find this out a strange procedure was carried out in which the woman would come to the priest and take an oath and drink water mixed with the dust from the floor of the temple and the ink of the curses for adultery written in a book and see what would happen. Here's how the passage illustrates the "test" for her innocence:
Numbers 5:23-28 (ESV) "Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. 25 And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand and shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
The interesting thing about this whole event is that only God would make her guilt visible. For there was no magic to this procedure. It was simply leaving the judgment in the hands of God. Secondly, for a man to bring his suspected wife through this would be very cold and disgraceful for himself as the community would see this take place. Thirdly, this is the first time anyone in the scriptures is told to drink something that would bring a curse for sin.
We may not truly understand all the reasons for why God gave these rules through Moses to ancient Israel. What we can take from it is that adultery is serious sin of which only God truly knows the depths. We also can see that Israel would regard adultery as very damaging to the community, not just to a marriage. This procedure involved everyone. God was teaching His people that adultery was not a "private" matter between couples. It hurt neighbors and families.
Finally, we cannot help but see preludes to Christ in this passage. Only, in a complete reversal of events with Christ bearing it all for us. We are the unfaithful spouse. Only God can truly know the depths of our spiritual adultery. But instead of taking us to task, His Son has come to drink the cup of bitter suffering. The cup in Numbers 5 was mixed with dust and ink from the curses in the book. At the cross, Jesus took on flesh and the curse of our sins. He drank it for us. Now we drink in remembrance of His sacrifices for our acceptance before the Father. In the Numbers 5 procedure, the innocent woman would drink and not suffer the curse. Through the New Covenant of Christ's blood, we drink and do not suffer for our sins. The price has been paid in full.
We are free.
Hallelujah.
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